Santa Cruz police are searching for two men who fatally stabbed a 26-year-old man during a fight early Saturday in downtown Santa Cruz — the first homicide in the city this year and only the second in the county.

The identity of the victim was being withheld, pending notification of next of kin, officials said.

According to police, two officers were on patrol just before 2 a.m. Saturday when they saw three men fighting at the corner of Cedar and Locust streets.

When the officers confronted the men, two of them fled south on Cedar Street and were last seen running through a two-story parking garage at Cedar and Church streets.

The victim, who was stabbed twice during the fight, also started to flee on Locust Street when he was stopped by one of the officers. When the man turned around, the officer saw he was bleeding heavily from stab wounds in the neck and chest.

The officer and an off-duty paramedic applied emergency first aid until an ambulance arrived. The victim was pronounced dead at 2:55 a.m. at Dominican Hospital.

The fight apparently was triggered by an argument between the men after they agreed to ride together to get something to eat, police said.

Police suspect patrons of two nearby bars may have information about the case and are urged to call investigators at (831) 420-5820.